SRI LANKA: Captured weapons on display after military victory for government in fight against Tamil Tigers in eastern Sri Lanka; Government invites Tigers to peace talks

Sri Lanka's government drove the Tamil Tigers from Vakarai, their last coastal enclave in the eastern part of the island nation on Wednesday (January 24). As part of the military campaign, Sri Lanka government troops led by a special forces brigade attacked rebel positions from three directions in a bid to trap them. Military sources said the rebels fled leaving behind a large quantity of arms and ammunition including two 155mm artillery guns. Sergeant Dayaratna of the special forces brigade described the operation as "very successful". "Our main aim was to rescue the people of this area from the terrorist clutches. We achieved that aim," Sergeant Dayaratna said. The coastal stretch was an important maritime supply line for the Tigers and is a major strategic loss. Defence spokesman and cabinet minister Heheliya Rambukwalla said on Tuesday (January 23) that the way was open for peace negotiations if the Tamil Tigers chose to take it. He said the government was not threatening to banish the Tigers from their main northern base, which analysts say would trigger an all-out return to a conflict that has killed more than 67,000 civilians, troops and rebels since 1983. Truce monitors say both sides have repeatedly violated the Norwegian-brokered ceasefire agreement of 2002.

ITN Source | January 25, 2007

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